Homeless Supports
Emergency shelter programs
The Region of Durham is legislated by the province of Ontario as a Service System Manager for Housing and Homelessness and designated by the federal government as the Community Entity.
Emergency shelter programs in Durham Region can help you if you don’t have any other place to stay. Funded homeless shelter programs are housing-focused, as part of Durham Region’s plan to address homelessness in our community.
For help with homelessness Support, you can connect:
Email: Homelesshelp@Durham.ca
Phone: 905-668-4113 extension 5510
Toll free: 1-800-372-1102 extension 5510
311 - extension 5510
Emergency shelter programs and winter warming locations are listed on the Shelters and Warming Centres page.
Shelter programs also act as Community Access Points to our By-Name List and Coordinated Access System.
Victims of gender-based violence or trafficking who need supports or emergency accommodation have more than one option:
Call Victim Services at 905-721-4226 or Ontario Works in Whitby at 905-666-6239 during business hours.
Visit the web page Victims of Domestic Violence to access a shelter to accommodate your needs and safety.
About homelessness in Durham Region
Commitment to ending chronic homelessness in Durham Region
What are housing-focused shelter programs?
From the moment someone enters shelter, there are supports and a plan to ensure a safe and appropriate exit from shelter. Shelter programs are part of the process of helping people end their homelessness while helping to meet their basic needs. You can learn more about how housing-focused shelters in Durham Region operate through our Service Standards.
OrgCode Consulting, Inc. and the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH) partnered to create guidelines for shelters to become housing-focused, as part of the Canadian Shelter Transformation Network. You can learn more about housing-focused shelters from the Canadian Shelter Transformation Network.
Shelter programs focus on short-term stays and have a commitment to helping people exit the shelter to housing. From the moment you access shelter, staff will ask you about your housing plan and work with you to put that plan in action. Everyone in shelter needs to be working on their housing plan as much as possible.
You can contact the shelter program directly to start the intake process.
By-Name List and Co-ordinated Access System
The Regional Street Outreach Program is an engagement team who assist unsheltered individuals with meeting basic needs and ensuring people are connected with Durham Regions By-Name List (BNL) and Coordinated Access System. The Street Outreach Team works on a 24/7 basis to ensure the needs of Durham’s most vulnerable population are met. These supports can include; collaboration with system service providers and system navigation, encampment wellness and relocation supports, referrals to community agencies, transportation support and wellness checks.
Primary Care Outreach Program (PCOP)
The Region of Durham’s Veteran Homelessness Program supports local Veterans who are at risk of, or currently experiencing, homelessness by helping them secure and maintain stable housing. The program provides individualized wraparound support and case management in collaboration with community and federal partners. Its goal is to reduce barriers to affordable housing and enhance the overall well‑being and long‑term stability of Veterans in our community so they can live with the dignity they deserve.
Many former Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members may not consider themselves Veterans and are often unaware of the benefits available to them. A Veteran is any former member of the Canadian Armed Forces who successfully completed basic training and was honourably discharged.
If you believe you may be a Veteran—or know someone who might be—please contact Homelesshelp@durham.ca to connect with our Veteran Homelessness Program.
If you see a vulnerable resident in crisis, please dial 9-1-1 and emergency services will respond to the situation.
Printable How Can I Help? guide.
I see a person sleeping without shelter. Who do I call?
Contact the Region of Durham’s Homelessness Outreach Program:
- Call 311 and press 4 for Homelessness and Housing; or call 905-666-6239 or 1 888-721-0622 and extension 5510.
- E-mail HomelessHelp@durham.ca.
- Call the Primary Care Outreach Program (PCOP) at 289-979-9428 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week.
- For information on the PCOP, visit durham.ca/AboutPCOP.
I see someone who may be struggling with their mental health. Who do I call?
If you have urgent concerns about their safety or the safety of others, call 911 and say you are calling about a mental health emergency.
If it is not urgent, contact:
- The Durham Mental Health Services’ Crisis Access and Linkage Line at 905-666-0483 or 1-800-742-1890, seven days a week, 24 hours per day.
- The Primary Care Outreach Program (PCOP) at 289-979-9428, seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- The Mental Health Outreach Program (MHOP) at 289-927-1979, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
I see someone outside in winter. Where are the warming centres?
Warming centre information is listed on the Shelters and Warming Centres page.
I see needles/drug items in a public place. Who do I call?
Call the appropriate municipality.
- Ajax 905-683-2951, Brock 705-432-2355, Clarington 905-623-3379, Oshawa 905-436-3311, Pickering 905-683-7575, Scugog 905-985-7346, Uxbridge 416-990-1964, Whitby 905-430-4300.
I see someone committing a crime (for example, dealing drugs, damaging property or being violent). Who do I call?
- If you need urgent help, call 911.
- For non-emergencies, where there is no urgent threat to a person or property, call 905-579-1520.
Who can I call with anonymous information about a crime?
Call Durham Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at durhamregionalcrimestoppers.ca.
How can I learn about the issues in my community?
- Opioid crisis: how to help and resources to support recovery, visit durham.ca/Opioids
- Homelessness in Canada: bfzcanada.ca/video-library/
How can I donate to Winter Warming? What items are most needed?
To donate, please contact HomelessHelp@durham.ca. They will provide you with further instructions on how to proceed with your donation.
Items that are currently in high demand include:
- Hats
- Mitts
- Socks
- Chapstick
- Hand warmers
- Long underwear
- Sweatshirt
- Hoodies
- Boots
- Coats
- Track pants
- Bandages
- Milk bags (these are used as boot liners)
These items are essential for keeping our vulnerable community members warm during the winter season.
The Point-in-Time (PiT) Count is a national effort to measure and better understand homelessness. Communities organize their local PiT Count for one 24-hour period, to count and survey people experiencing homelessness within a geographical area. The goal of the PiT Count is to better understand the scope of national homelessness, and better understand and support those experiencing it.
The Regional Municipality of Durham collaborated with community partners to conduct the 2024 PiT Count from November 18 to 19, 2024. The information gathered through the PiT will be used to understand the profile of those experiencing homelessness, inform evidence-based programming and service planning, and provide individuals experiencing homelessness the opportunity to vocalize what supports and services will help them the most.
The PiT Count was conducted by outreach workers, shelter staff, and volunteers, inclusive of those with lived experience of homelessness. The PiT Count included individuals living:
Outdoors and in encampments.
Shelters.
Drop-in centres.
Health care centres.
Transitional shelters and housing.
Hidden.
A successful count enables our community to:
Ensure the accuracy of the By-name List of individuals experiencing homelessness.
Identify the characteristics and needs of both visible and hidden homeless populations.
Recognize areas of progress and pinpoint where additional efforts are needed, both geographically and among different subpopulations.
Raise awareness of homelessness, and strategies to support those experiencing it.
Durham Region Encampment Strategy
Research Reports & Policy Publications
Tim Welch Consulting Inc. Report - November 24, 2023
Integrated Homelessness System Action Plan
Policy Paper on Homelessness and Related Challenges - 2023
The Policy Paper on Homelessness and Related Challenges outlines the current challenges in Durham Region, community bright spots that are making a difference, and opportunities for advocacy to the federal and provincial government.
OrgCode Consulting Inc. Report - December 8, 2022
A Renewed Homelessness and Housing Support Service System for the Regional Municipality of Durham